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Some of you have already seen it, but if you are interested, I've posted the review of the latest of Dennis' cookers, the 2011 OTB Gen 2.4 Ultimate. You'll find it here: Review of the Newest Komodo Kamado

I would have posted it sooner, but I though Dennis was going to. I hope you enjoy it.

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Review of the Newest Komodo Kamado]And of course a question that often comes up about Komodo Kamado cookers is if they are worth the money. Everyone has to determine value for themselves' date=' but we look at it as a Ford vs. Ferrari sort of decision. Sure, the Ford will get you there, but wow! how the Ferrari will get you there. Sure, less expensive ceramic cookers produce good food, but wow! how the Komodo Kamado produces good food. Just like the Ferrari will give you a superior driving experience, the Komodo Kamado will give you a superior ceramic cooking experience.[/quote']

A Komodo Kamado might be on the pricey side compared to a generic ceramic cooker. There is the commitment argument: Never spend $25+50+100+200+400+800+1600 on anything (speakers, headphones come to mind) trying to dial in the quality that will make you happy, when for another $25 you could have spent $3200 in the first place, and settled the issue once and for all. I'm thrilled that I did this once upon a time for my mountain bike, and I'm struggling with this question for chamber vacuum sealers right now; it does take nerve to apply in practice. Be European about this; simply balk at buying most things, but when you do [s:1or5fnhw]drink beer[/s:1or5fnhw] buy something, buy the best.

However, compared to a wood-fired bread oven (chase links from The Brick Bake Oven Page), the price of a KK is rather reasonable. I say compared to advisably, for there are significant differences. A KK uses charcoal, while a brick bread oven uses a wood fire. A KK is far more flexible; some people think it's a steak grill with a great lid, some people think it is primarily for slow-cooked brisket, butt and ribs, some people think it is a charcoal rotisserie, and some people think it is a tandoor. However, the classic way to use a brick bread oven is to build a fire, let the whole thing heat soak at 800 F, and start baking bread when the baking floor drops below 600 F.

The KK is built to easily withstand this 800 F heat soak without cracking or shedding all its tiles (unlike other brands; ask me how I know), and it is insulated so it won't plummet in temperature once the fire goes out. So it is viable to wait for the KK to reenter low-earth orbit after a burn, and bake bread for half an hour at around a target temperature. To my knowledge, no other ceramic cooker can do this. One fakes baking bread (or pizza) in other ceramic cookers by keeping the fire going, which is an entirely different effect.

I'm just now getting back into sourdough bread baking (I'm episodic in my compulsions, and bread making at its best is hard), but I've often applied this same technique to roasting meats. There's a unique taste to a chicken, roasted after the fire dies down, that one can't get with ordinary ceramic cookers.

Following this theme, the unnamed comparison pizza stone is FibraMent-D. Their home stones are 3/4" thick. Because pretty much every home kitchen customer of theirs who wants a thicker stone has serious misconceptions about how stones work, they'll basically refuse to sell it to you, to save you from yourself. However, with enough time it is better to heat-soak a thicker stone, for longer baking after the fire is gone. A notable difference in the KK stone is that it is 1" thick, making this whole brick bread oven approach viable.